Call firefighter recruiting class scheduled

The Sterling fire department is seeking men and women older than 18 who are interested in becoming call firefighters.

Most residents may not be aware that a large percentage of the fire department staff are considered “on-call,” meaning they do not receive a salary but are instead paid per incident and training.

Currently there are 30 call firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on the roster in Sterling, and just four fulltime paid firefighters including the chief. Of those numbers some are firefighters, some are EMTs and some do both.

Because a majority of the staff is on-call, it is difficult to know how many personnel will be available to respond to a call any time of day. They may be tied up with work or family obligations which limit the number of call firefighters and EMT’s available to respond to a call.

Call firefighters bring a diverse skill set which also means a diverse level of availability. The roster includes carpenters, truck drivers, business owners, nurses, fulltime firefighters in other departments and college students.

It is often challenging to adequately staff the apparatus during weekdays and weekends as a result of the work and family obligations people have. As a result the ambulance began staffing per-diem personnel on weekends from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. five years ago and in July starting staffing per-diem personnel from 6-11 p.m weeknights to help address the availability issue.

The department hopes to start an in-house fire academy in late February or early March and classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6-10 p.m. and will last for approximately four months.

Qualifications to become an on-call firefighter include being at least 18, having a high school degree or GED, completing a physical as well as a physical fitness test administered by the state department of public health criteria, successfully passing a background check and most importantly completing the recruit training class which prepares each student for certification.

Anyone interested in joining the department should contact the Sterling Fire Department at (978) 422-8107, stop by the station for an application or email the chief at david.hurlbut@sterlingfd.net.

Call firefighters and emergency medical technicians that make themselves available to respond day and night to those in need are the backbone of the department.

On average the Sterling Fire Department responds to 1,200 incidents annually.